BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Fairmont State’s Leslie Huffman, who helped lead her team to the Mountain East Conference regular season championship, has been named the MEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, per a vote of the league’s head coaches. Glenville State’s Nwando Okigbo is the MEC Freshman of the Year, and Wheeling’s Kenzie Dalton won the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Huffman’s coach, Stephanie Anderson, has been selected as the MEC Coach of the Year by her peers. The Falcons are 24-4 overall and 17-3 in conference play, and enter this week’s MEC Basketball Tournament as the top overall seed. Fairmont State finished four games ahead of a pair of second-place teams.
Huffman is joined on the All-MEC first team by seven others: Sydney Baird and Emma Witt of West Virginia Wesleyan; Tynasia Bunting of Glenville State; Abbie Smith of Concord; Alyssa DeAngelo of Fairmont State; and last year’s MEC Player of the Year, Frostburg State’s Emilee Weakley.
Huffman, who is from Marietta, Ohio, produced across-the-board in 2024-25. The junior guard ranks third in the MEC in scoring, 13th in rebounding, fourth in free throw percentage, sixth in field goal percentage, 15th in assists, and fourth in steals. The Falcons are on a six-game winning streak entering this week’s MEC Basketball Tournament.
Dalton, who also collected All-MEC honorable mention honors, is the league’s first Defensive Player of the Year after ranking second in the conference — and No. 13 nationally — in steals per game (3.1). Dalton’s Cardinals also rank first in the MEC in scoring defense.
Okigbo is the MEC’s top freshman after finishing No. 15 in the league in points per game, second in rebounding, and seventh in blocks. The Glenville State star is one of three players in the league this season to average a double-double.
Anderson is the MEC Coach of the Year after leading her program to its second consecutive regular season title. Fairmont State swept the regular season and postseason titles in 2023-24, a first for the program. The Falcons enter this week’s conference tournament as winners of 16 of the last 17 games dating back to Dec. 15.
In addition to the All-MEC first team and postseason award winners, the conference also recognized second team and honorable mention all-conference teams (listed below).
| 2025 All-MEC First Team | |||||
| Name | School | Cl. | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Sydney Baird | West Virginia Wesleyan | So. | G | 5-7 | Webster Springs, W.Va. |
| Tynasia Bunting | Glenville State | Sr. | G | 6-0 | Newport News, Va. |
| Alyssa DeAngelo | Fairmont State | Gr. | G | 5-10 | Jefferson Hills, Pa. |
| Leslie Huffman | Fairmont State | Jr. | G | 5-10 | Marietta, Ohio |
| Abbie Smith | Concord | Jr. | F | 6-2 | Little Hocking, Ohio |
| Bailee Smith | West Liberty | Jr. | G | 5-7 | Roseville, Ohio |
| Emilee Weakley | Frostburg State | Sr. | F | 5-11 | Luray, Va. |
| Emma Witt | West Virginia Wesleyan | Jr. | F | 5-9 | Staunton, Va. |
| 2025 All-MEC Second Team | |||||
| Name | School | Cl. | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Skylar Davidson | Concord | Sr. | G | 5-5 | Mullens, W.Va. |
| Emyah Fortenberry | West Virginia State | Sr. | F | 5-11 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Jalen Gibbs | Fairmont State | Gr. | F | 6-0 | Wellington, Ohio |
| Alexis Giles | Point Park | Jr. | G | 5-9 | Youngstown, Ohio |
| Jamia Nesmith | Charleston | Sr. | F | 5-11 | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| Taylor Smith | Frostburg State | Sr. | G | 5-7 | Uniontown, Pa. |
| Paris Stokes | Charleston | So. | G | 5-6 | Canton, Ohio |
| Rachel Wilson | Wheeling | Jr. | F | 6-2 | Carrolton, Ga. |
| 2025 All-MEC Honorable Mention | |||||
| Name | School | Cl. | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Dream Cherry | Glenville State | Sr. | G | 5-2 | Akron, Ohio |
| Kenzie Dalton | Wheeling | Jr. | G | 5-3 | Marietta, Ohio |
| Shelby Genes | West Virginia Wesleyan | Sr. | G | 5-6 | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| Shanley Woods | West Virginia State | Sr. | G | 5-6 | Wheeling, W.Va. |
Player of the Year: Leslie Huffman (Fairmont State) Defensive Player of the Year: Kenzie Dalton (Wheeling) Freshman of the Year: Nwando Okigbo (Glenville State) Coach of the Year: Stephanie Anderson (Fairmont State) | |||||
Previous Winners
MEC Player of the Year
2014: Lexy Carson (West Virginia State)
2015: Martha Nagbe (Notre Dame College)
2016: Kierra Simpson (West Liberty)
2017: Paris McLeod (Glenville State)
2018: Paris McLeod (Glenville State)
2019: Marissa Brown (West Liberty)
2020: Tyra James (Urbana)
2021: Brooklyn Pannell (Charleston)
2022: Re’Shawna Stone (Glenville State)
2023: Breanna Campbell (Glenville State)
2024: Emilee Weakley (Frostburg State)
2025: Leslie Huffman (Fairmont State)
MEC Defensive Player of the Year
2025: Kenzie Dalton (Wheeling)
MEC Freshman of the Year
2014: Cara Mason (Shepherd)
2015: Mari Stewart (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2016: Laura Szorenyi (West Virginia State)
2017: Sydney Bates (West Virginia State)
2018: Sierra Kotchman (Fairmont State)
2019: Re’Shawna Stone (Glenville State)
2020: Dakota Reeves (Charleston)
2021: Alyssa DeAngelo (Fairmont State)
2022: Bailee Smith (West Liberty)
2023: Emilee Weakley (Frostburg State)
2024: Sydney Baird (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2025: Nwando Okigbo (Glenville State)
MEC Coach of the Year
2014: Adam Collins (Charleston)
2015: Jenna Eckleberry (Shepherd)
2016: Lynn Ullom (West Liberty)
2017: Katie Hine (Notre Dame College)
2018: Kim Stephens (Glenville State)
2019: Kim Stephens (Glenville State)
2020: Lauren Macer (Notre Dame College)
2021: Tianni Kelly (Charleston)
2022: Kim Stephens (Glenville State)
2023: Kim Stephens (Glenville State)
2024: Jenna Eckleberry (Frostburg State)
2025: Stephanie Anderson (Fairmont State)
